First Blog! Woot!

[Sandi Stupica]

Lead teaching has been a challenge, but a good challenge. During the last week and 1/2, I have been lead teaching two 7th grade classes and one honors English class. Previously, I had not been making the lesson plans. Finally, I thought, I would be more prepared. Instead of watching my mentor teach her lesson and me mimicking it, I would would have a better grasp of the subject I was teaching. This was true, I did feel more prepared, but there were many aspects of the lesson that I would forget. Once I teach a little longer, I’ll remember to pass back papers, collect homework from the night before, write Jimmy the bathroom pass, pass the attendance sheet around the classroom, etc. There are many details that my mentor easily remembers.

Not only did I experience the importance of remembering the little things but creating new, innovative, and exciting lessons was also a challenge. My mentor teacher has her classroom organized in groups of four. This allows students to easily find someone to chat with. If they’re not talking to the person on their side, they are facing someone who is probably willing to talk. Therefore, I tried to design lessons in which students can work together. Using that energy (no volcanoes).

What are some classroom management styles? To solve a management issue, I usually move a student to a different seat, sit them in the hall, or send them to the vice principal. I have also keep time. If they talk for 5 seconds, that’s how long I will keep them after school. The other day, I had two students, one male and one female, yelling at each other in class. It was probably a situation I could have diffused earlier if I had just moved a student earlier. The yelling match got so intense that the young man actually got out of his seat and stood over the girl saying “I will slap you.” I let that go too far. So, any suggestions?

[Sandi Stupica]

Thank you for the comment, Kia. I like the apology letter! I have yet to try this method but I will update you on the results.

Recently, my students have been learning about the characteristics of characterization (Appearance, Speech, Thoughts, Actions, Reactions). The seventh graders picked out nonfiction books to complete a poster on their chosen book. They will list these characteristics for the main character on the poster.

Tomorrow, we are starting the mystery unit and will start reading Avi's "Something Upstairs."

[Kia Jane Richmond]

Hi Sandi, glad to hear things are going well for you. I taught middle school English for several years in Texas, and so I know how fun it can be. Of course, classroom management is a tough issue. I have two ideas for you. First, if you have students who are yelling at each other, ask each one to write the other a letter explaining what the problem is. They can then give you those letters and you can read them, restate the problems, and then ask for solutions. The other is related to what you figured out already - catching discipline problems early helps tremendously. Having your rules for the classroom visible and asking students to read the rules aloud when they are struggling can help. You can also move closer to students who are acting out - proximity seems to help them feel less alone/frustrated. Finally, remember to empathize with them; most of the time, students just want tof feel that they have been heard. Good luck! Oh, and I'd love to hear about what you are having students write this month. :) Kia Jane